LED light assemblies have been used to simulate neon light due to fragileness of typical neon lighting fixtures. These LED light assemblies include an extruded plastic tube, made of varying shapes and sizes, and a light engine containing LEDs, a printed circuit board (PCB), an electrical connector, and a power conductor, among others. The light engine is created by mounting the LEDs onto the PCB, attaching the PCB/LED assembly onto the electrical connector, and attaching the electrical connector to the power conductor. The light engine is then inserted into the plastic tube to create the overall LED light assembly.
One issue when using LED light assemblies to simulate neon light is that replacing failed LEDs can be cumbersome due to interconnecting of the electrical connectors within the light assembly. Since LED light assemblies simulate neon lighting via a light engine, failure of one connector within the light engine may cause failure of the entire light engine.
Another issue with using LED light assemblies to simulate neon light is rigidness of the overall assembly. Although the extruded plastic tube can be produced in varying shapes and sizes, the ability of a consumer to alter the shape of the light assembly after the tube is manufactured is minimal. The rigidness of the light assembly is primarily due to the inflexibility of the PCB. Therefore, when the consumer desires a new LED light assembly shape, the consumer must replace the initial plastic tube with a new plastic tube of the desired shape. Additionally, the replacement of the initial plastic tube normally requires replacing the light engine with a new light engine to fit the new plastic tube of the desired shape.
Attempts to have been made to streamline issues associated with LED light assemblies. One attempt to correct the issue of light engine failure has been the creation of a light engine containing a series of independent electrical connectors, e.g., insulation displacement connectors (IDCs). Although IDCs can prevent cascading electrical connector failures, their use can be costly. Additionally, using IDCs does not address the consumer's inability to change the shape of the LED light assembly.